Although we're not able to visit our favourite pub at the moment due to lockdown restrictions, we all have fond memories of having a drink in our local.

Dorset boasts some of the oldest pubs in the world, with many of them waiting to serve up pints to punters when lockdown measures lift.

Many are hundreds of years old, with some of them still operating today.

But for some, they have had to close their doors for various reasons, and now remain a part of Dorset's history.

Some buildings were demolished after closure, whereas others have been refurbished or reconstructed for an entirely different purpose.

We take a trip down memory lane to remember some of them,

Read on to remember five of Dorset's lost pubs.

The Brownlow, 32 Ranelagh Road, Weymouth

Dorset Echo:

This disused Weymouth pub closed down in 2010.
It stands on the corner of Ranelagh Road and Brownlow Street near the railway station.
The Brownlow is remembered as a 'wonderful pub' and the social centre of the Park district.

The White Hart, Dorchester

Dorset Echo:

This landmark pub was mentioned in the works of Thomas Hardy.
Ten new homes have been built on its site by the River Frome and this iconic White Hart statue, which adorned the pub, now stands on the completed scheme.

Dorset Echo:

The White Hart in its heyday

In 1895 the White Hart was used as a base for horse-drawn carriages and is described in Hardy’s A Few Crusted Characters as a ‘respectable, if somewhat lumbering, class of conveyance, much resorted to by decent travellers not overstocked with money’.
It was rebuilt in 1926 after a fire and planning permission to demolish the building and develop it was obtained in 2011.

Kings Arms, Puddletown

Dorset Echo:

Stables at the King's Arms in 1911

The King's Arms was situated on the village high street. This pub has now been demolished with new housing built on the site. 

Dorset Echo:

King's Arms in Puddletown

The well-known King’s Arms Hotel faced the junction at the west end of Puddletown and had extensive stabling for hunting parties. The village also had the Royal Oak inn and the Prince of Wales pub.

Queens Armes, Charmouth

Dorset Echo:
In 1501, Catherine of Aragon stayed at The Queen’s Arms in Charmouth.

It is also where King Charles stayed on September 22, 1651. The king was trying to escape Oliver Cromwell's soldiers, and was given refuge by the landlady at the time, Margaret Ward.

The plan to get Charles II to France by boat from Charmouth beach failed as the skipper’s wife locked her husband in his room, as she thought the mission was too dangerous. The King and his entourage were forced to flee Charmouth before Oliver Cromwell’s soldiers arrived.
The building is now known as The Abbots house and is the oldest building in Charmouth.

The Swan, Mill Street, Dorchester

Dorset Echo:
This Victorian pub was built by Eldridge Pope and Co Ltd.

Dorset Echo:

It has now been converted for use by Dorchester Young People's Service.

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